Missouri v. George Revelle "Wife Murder Retrial" Since his Feb. 1996 conviction for his wife's murder, George Revelle has continued to proclaim his innocence. During his trial, prosecutors convinced a jury that an indebted Revelle murdered his wife Lisa in 1994 for her $500,000 insurance policy. But, Revelle claimed two burglars broke into his home and killed Lisa. He maintained that they intended to kidnap him and force him to withdraw money from Ozark Bank, where he worked. At trial, evidence against Revelle was entirely circumstantial. While Revelle described his 15-year marriage as almost idyllic, prosecutors suggested otherwise. During the trial, an undated note written by Lisa was admitted into evidence. The letter revealed a tormented wife unhappy with her marriage. Additionally, prosecutors showed that Revelle may have had a financial motive to kill his wife. The Revelles had lived beyond their means. Their new house had been $42,000 over cost. In October, 1993, Revelle had an overdraft of $3,400 at his bank, causing the closure of his direct deposit account. In addition, Revelle owed his in-laws $61,100. Lisa's life insurance policy had a double indemnity clause, meaning that it would double if she died accidentally. Revelle would have collected $1 million, which would have helped ease his debts. To deal with his increasing debt, Revelle embezzled money from his bank in 1993 and 1994. Authorities did not discover his financial crimes until they probed his wife's murder. On March 31, 1995, a federal grand jury indicted him on 18 counts of embezzlement, misapplication of bank funds and money laundering. Revelle pleaded guilty to 17 of the 18 charges on June 2, 1995 and was sentenced to 27 months in prison. Revelle's conviction was a key issue at his murder trial. In addition to his embezzlement conviction, the most damning evidence against Revelle at the murder trial was his home alarm system. The set-up of the system contradicted Revelle's burglar story. The Revelles' alarm, which was monitored by All Security, had a 9-zone protection system. Only seven of the zones were programmed for use. Zone 4 was defined the perimeter delayed zone, and it included the front, garage, basement and rear doors to the house. If Zone 4 was violated, a beeping sound would occur for 30 seconds, giving the family time to disarm an accidental alarm. Zone 8 was a glass break sensor. That alarm would sound immediately if there was a loud sound, such as the breaking of glass or the firing of a gun. Unlike Zone 4, Zone 8 had no delayed period for disarmament: the monitoring company would know immediately about the violation, and their records would indicate the date and time of the break-in. Once the alarm went off, the security system's key pads would note the locations of the violations. The Revelles had two key pads in the kitchen and master bedroom. On the night of the murder, company records and the Revelles' key pads noted only a Zone 8 violation, not a Zone 4. This was significant because Revelle had told police that the beeping sound from the Zone 4 alarm system awoke him. But, prosecutors said, since the records did not show a Zone 4 violation. There could not have been an intruder. Revelle tried to explain the contradictions in his robbery defense by saying his wife may have disarmed Zone 4 sometime that evening and had forgotten to reset it. He said that the beeping sound he heard may have been caused by the burglars, who were punching the keypads in an attempt to deactivate the system. But jurors did not believe Revelle's story. Although they agreed Revelle was guilty of first-degree murder, they could not unanimously agree to sentence him to the death penalty. Revelle's conviction was overturned when the Court of Appeals ruled that Lisa Revelle's anguished letter to the defendant was improperly admitted and used at trial. Now, Revelle will have another chance to clear his name. If convicted a second time, Revelle will face life in prison without parole and undoubtedly will continue to profess his innocence. — Bryan Robinson Reported by Court TV's Beth Karas top of page